The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling signals coming from tissue by utilizing an apparatus for measuring concentration of metabolic substance in the tissue or change of concentration thereof based on a light signal.
An apparatus for measuring changes of characteristics of subjects utilizing an optical measuring instrument has been disclosed in JP-A No. H9-98972 and moreover an apparatus for issuing an alarm if any change exceeding the predetermined value is generated as a result of monitoring the conditions of the subject has also been disclosed in JP-A No. H9-149894.
An existing apparatus for acquiring signals from the tissue has been structured to irradiate the tissue in the body as an measurement object with a probe light in the wavelength reacting to such tissue, to detect change of probe light having passed the living body and transmit a certain signal when such change has exceeded the predetermined value. However, any structure to support the volition of living body is not disclosed in these references.
This measuring instrument includes an optical element to be loaded on the skin of a living body, which is represented by an optical fiber as a light source and a light detector. However, if the loading area is selected at the head portion, such optical element must be loaded on the scalp by parting the hair of head. Therefore, the structure for loading an optical element on the scalp has been required.
In the present invention, following two means are provided. The first means is an apparatus having the structure for displaying a signal level obtained from a subject and the signal level to be obtained on a display to induce the volition of the subject, or notifying such levels to the subject in terms of a sound and detecting a change of subject based on such sound to notify again this change to the subject, and moreover feeding back the signal obtained to a living body as the subject to assist induction of volition of the body until the target value can be attained.
The second means includes a light source and a light detector provided by the present invention which can easily implement radiation of light and detection thereof. In the present invention, a light source for radiation and a sensor for detection must be loaded on the scalp. In the existing cerebral function measuring method, fitting of a sensor which is a general name of such elements is very complicated and it has been conducted by only an authorized person represented by an inspection engineer. However, it has been requested to develop an easier sensor loading method for the spreading of the measuring method. The present invention provides, by paying attention to a hair fixing tool (probe) represented as a hair band, a Katyusha or a hair pin which may be available in the market, an element, comprising, within such hair fixing tool (probe), a light source for irradiating a living body with the light and a sensor for detecting the light having propagated a living body, which may be handled easily and can also be loaded to the heads of many peoples.